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The vast expanse between Earth and the Moon, once a quiet void visited only by robotic probes and the occasional Apollo mission, has transformed into the defining geopolitical arena of the 21st century. With more than 130 lunar missions scheduled by 2030, cislunar space—the region stretching from low Earth orbit to just beyond the Moon—has become the epicenter of a trillion-dollar contest among global superpowers, ambitious new entrants, and rapidly expanding private enterprises.
At stake is far more than national prestige. The Moon holds untapped resources with the potential to revolutionize global energy economies, redefine technological capabilities, and establish military advantages that could tilt the strategic balance for decades. The race to dominate cislunar space is not merely about exploration—it is about shaping future military superiority, economic control, and the long-term trajectory of human civilization in space.
Cislunar space—stretching from low Earth orbit to the Moon—also presents affordable near-term opportunities that serve as stepping stones for future deep space exploration. NASA emphasizes that while missions within this region hold standalone scientific and commercial value, they also play a crucial role in enabling and de-risking human expeditions to the Moon, Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs), Mars, and beyond. By acting as a logistical and operational bridge, cislunar space could shape the architecture of global human exploration.
Emerging Global Cislunar Space Race
Often described as the “first island off the coast of Earth,” cislunar space holds immense promise and peril. The Moon’s surface is thought to contain over 20 billion metric tons of water ice, a resource that can be converted into rocket propellant, enabling refueling depots for missions deeper into space. This transforms the Moon into a forward operating base for interplanetary logistics. Beyond resources, cislunar space provides strategic military advantages. Its Lagrange points offer unparalleled stability for long-duration surveillance, communication, and early-warning platforms. China has already demonstrated this potential with its Queqiao satellite, positioned at Earth-Moon L2, which facilitates secure communications with its far-side lunar missions.
Economic motivations are equally compelling.
One of the most prized lunar assets is helium-3, a rare isotope virtually absent on Earth but found in abundance on the Moon. Estimated at over 1.1 million tons, helium-3 could power clean fusion reactors, offering a long-term solution to Earth’s energy crisis. With a theoretical value of $20 million per kilogram, its potential market value runs into the trillions.
Water ice, detected in craters near the lunar south pole, may exceed 20 billion metric tons and could support not just life, but in-situ fuel production and long-term habitation. The Moon’s regolith is also rich in rare-earth elements and platinum-group metals vital for electronics and clean energy technologies.
United Launch Alliance has projected that if infrastructure is adequately developed, cislunar industries such as resource mining, manufacturing, and even tourism could form the foundation of a $3 trillion annual economy by 2050.
However, it’s not just about economics. Military planners have taken note that cislunar space offers unmatched advantages. Control of Earth-Moon Lagrange points—stable regions where gravitational forces balance—could enable constant surveillance and space-based command centers. China’s Queqiao-2 satellite, already positioned at EML2, has showcased capabilities in quantum-secure communications and navigation, giving it a potentially unmatchable edge. Moreover, tracking objects in this region is exponentially more difficult due to chaotic gravitational dynamics. The nation that masters cislunar situational awareness could monopolize critical intelligence and defense logistics.
These events have made the cislunar space, the entire space extending beyond Earth to the moon next “high ground” a position of advantage or superiority that needs to be monitored and controlled. The cis-lunar domain is defined as that area of deep space under the gravitational influence of the earth-moon system. This includes a set of earth-centered orbital locations in low earth orbit (LEO), geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO), highly elliptical and high earth orbits (HEO), earth-moon libration or “Lagrange” points (E-ML1 through E-ML5, and in particular, E-ML1 and E-ML2), and low lunar orbit (LLO).
As private industry becomes a central force in space development, dominance in this region will not only support sovereign interests but also determine which nations shape the governance and commercial standards of the new space economy. As Lonestar Data Holdings CEO Christopher Stott bluntly noted, “Whoever controls the cislunar high ground wins.”
China’s Push for Cislunar Supremacy
China’s approach is both deliberate and expansive. China is moving aggressively to secure its position in cislunar space. It made history in 2019 with the Chang’e-4 mission, achieving the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon and deploying the Yutu-2 rover, supported by the Queqiao relay satellite.
This satellite remains in a stable orbit with minimal fuel usage due to the gravitational balance between the Earth and the Moon. Positioned in a halo orbit, it maintains continuous visibility of both Earth and the far side of the Moon, ensuring uninterrupted communication. Although the concept of a halo-orbit relay satellite was first proposed in the 1960s by U.S. scientists, it was brought to operational reality by Chinese engineers to support the Chang’e-4 lunar farside mission. Beyond its scientific purpose, the satellite has significant strategic value: its location far beyond low-Earth and geosynchronous orbits makes it considerably harder to detect, track, or jam—enhancing the resilience and security of long-range space communication system. This mission was not only a scientific milestone but also demonstrated dual-use capabilities in secure communications and remote operation. The Yutu-2 rover continues to explore terrain previously untouched by human instruments.
The upcoming Chang’e-6 mission, expected to return samples from the lunar far side, will further bolster China’s capacity to conduct complex, long-distance missions.
Internationally, China is expanding influence through its International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) initiative. With 17 countries already aligned—many from the Global South—Beijing is offering equity shares in future lunar resource ventures, creating a powerful coalition with shared strategic interests.
Looking ahead, Beijing aims to land humans on the Moon by 2030 and is spearheading the development of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), a joint effort with Russia. In partnership with Russia, Beijing is advancing plans to deploy an autonomously assembled, nuclear-powered base on the Moon by 2035. This design circumvents the limitations of solar power during the two-week lunar night and could support both scientific and defense applications. This project is envisioned not merely as a science hub, but as a strategic counterweight to U.S.-led initiatives like Artemis.
Through the ILRS and other endeavors, China is positioning itself as a norm-setter in lunar governance, leveraging technology, partnerships with the Global South, and space diplomacy.
China’s Methodical March
China’s ambitions for cislunar space go well beyond surface missions. Chinese scientists are now laying the groundwork for a comprehensive space-based infrastructure designed to support lunar exploration, drive the nation’s space industry, and promote international collaboration. This evolving vision includes a wide-ranging constellation to provide data communication, positioning, navigation, timing (PNT), and space situational awareness services. The infrastructure is intended to support not just lunar surface operations, but also users across ground-based, near-Earth, cislunar, and deep space environments.
The concept, detailed in the journal Chinese Space Science and Technology by senior scientist Yang Mengfei of the China Academy of Space Technology and others, proposes a phased deployment of satellites and supporting systems. The first phase involves deploying satellites in elliptical frozen orbits (ELFO) around the Moon, providing robust and continuous communications. The second phase would expand coverage by placing spacecraft at the Earth-Moon Lagrange points (EML1, EML2, EML4, EML5), near-rectilinear halo orbits (NRHO), and even in geostationary orbit to establish what they term a “cislunar space station.” The final phase would add satellites in distant retrograde orbits (DRO), forming a dense near-lunar and extended-space constellation, all supported by ground-based facilities across China.
This cislunar system would be integral to China’s lunar program, including plans to land its first astronauts on the Moon before 2030 and to begin construction of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) shortly thereafter. The Queqiao (“Magpie Bridge”) constellation will be a key enabler of this strategy, delivering communication and navigation capabilities critical for long-duration surface missions and resource exploitation. Queqiao-2, launched to support the historic Chang’e-6 lunar farside sample return, will also relay communications for the upcoming Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8 missions in 2026 and 2028, respectively. These missions will help validate technology for crewed landings and pave the way for permanent infrastructure.
In parallel, experimental Tiandu-1 and Tiandu-2 satellites are already testing advanced communication and navigation functions in lunar orbit, and early visions of a Queqiao constellation were unveiled at the 2023 International Astronautical Congress. The infrastructure is not only intended to support Chinese missions—it is also pitched as a platform for international cooperation, offering shared services and standard-setting opportunities in an increasingly competitive lunar domain.
Technically, the project faces major challenges. These include the need for precise orbital dynamics modeling, synchronized operation of disparate satellite systems, and the establishment of a unified time-space reference framework. Hardware-wise, China will need to field advanced high-frequency amplifiers, large-diameter high-gain antennas, and integrated payloads capable of delivering combined PNT, communication, and monitoring functions in the harsh lunar environment.
The strategic payoff is potentially enormous. With a reliable and scalable infrastructure in place, China could dominate future cislunar logistics and stake a leading claim in the governance of lunar operations. As interest in lunar commercialization grows worldwide, Beijing’s ability to offer global partners access to navigation, communications, and monitoring services may secure it a pivotal role in shaping the next chapter of human space activity.
Still, the long-term significance remains contingent on sustained political and financial support. As Bleddyn Bowen of the University of Leicester notes, the prestige and strategic influence of a functioning lunar network may exceed its short-term economic return. Yet for China, which has already deployed hundreds of satellites in Earth orbit, this new lunar venture represents not just a technological leap, but a geopolitical one. And with the U.S., ESA, and others racing to field similar capabilities, the cislunar chessboard is quickly filling with pieces
The American Response: Innovation with Risks
The U.S. has leaned heavily on a public-private model, fostering partnerships between NASA and companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines. While NASA’s Artemis program has faced delays—pushing the first crewed landing to 2026—the pace of commercial innovation has surged.
NASA’s Artemis program is reinvigorating American crewed spaceflight with the goal of establishing a permanent presence on the Moon. A key component is the Lunar Gateway, a small space station that will orbit the Moon, serving as a staging point for surface missions and deeper space exploration. Parallel to civilian efforts, the U.S. military is expanding its footprint. The Space Force has been allocated funding to monitor objects out to 272,000 miles, well beyond traditional geosynchronous orbit.
A cornerstone of the U.S. strategy to monitor and secure the space between Earth and the Moon is the Cislunar Highway Patrol System (CHPS), spearheaded by the Air Force Research Laboratory. Launched with an initial allocation of $61 million, CHPS is designed to track spacecraft, debris, and potentially hostile assets maneuvering through the complex gravitational environment of cislunar space. Unlike near-Earth operations, tracking objects in this region presents unique challenges. The area of interest is vast—estimated to be over 1,000 times the volume of geosynchronous orbit—and complicated by the Moon’s reflective brightness, which interferes with sensor performance. These factors make traditional surveillance approaches insufficient, driving innovation in space situational awareness tools.
Complementing CHPS, a suite of additional U.S. initiatives is under development to enhance domain awareness and operational responsiveness in cislunar space. Among them is Lunar Trailblazer, a mission originally intended to map surface water ice on the Moon. Unfortunately, communication with the spacecraft was lost in early 2025, highlighting the inherent risks of deep-space operations. Meanwhile, the Space Cockpit platform is being developed as a real-time, 3D analytics environment to provide decision-makers with enhanced visibility and control over activities occurring in the lunar neighborhood. In parallel, emerging Satellite Surveillance Layers are being conceptualized to offer persistent tracking of assets in deep space, laying the groundwork for a robust monitoring architecture capable of deterring aggression and supporting U.S. and allied interests beyond geostationary orbit.
The U.S. is also building alliances: Japan is expected to participate in future Artemis missions, while NATO is being encouraged to extend its domain awareness into space.
In March 2025, Firefly’s Blue Ghost successfully landed and tested dust-shielding technologies critical to hardware longevity. Intuitive Machines’ IM-2, although tipped over upon landing near the south pole, still yielded valuable scientific data.
The U.S. Space Force has also expanded its presence. A $61 million allocation supports the development of the Cislunar Highway Patrol System (CHPS), an early-stage sensor network aimed at extending U.S. surveillance capabilities out to 272,000 miles.
Rising Players and New Dynamics
Other nations are also asserting themselves. Japan’s ispace, following its 2023 setback, is preparing the Hakuto-R mission for a second landing attempt in mid-2025. Europe, through ESA, is advancing its Lunar Pathfinder—a satellite communication system designed to enable polar operations and support robotic exploration by 2026.
India is ramping up its lunar ambitions as well. Following the success of Chandrayaan-3, it is preparing new missions that will integrate nuclear power units supplied by Russia, enabling more robust exploration and technology demonstration.
The Private Sector’s High-Stakes Lunar Play
The cislunar frontier is not merely a state-led endeavor. Private companies are betting billions on technologies that could make lunar mining, construction, and energy transmission commercially viable.
Interlune is leading the charge in helium-3 extraction. It plans to deploy autonomous excavators capable of mining 100 tons of regolith per hour, targeting its first delivery of helium-3 by 2030. A recent agreement with Maybell Quantum to supply “thousands of liters” of helium-3 signals surging demand for quantum computing applications, even before fusion reactors become feasible.
Komatsu is testing solar-powered regolith processors for extracting minerals directly on the Moon. Blue Origin, meanwhile, has integrated an in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) refinery into its Blue Moon lander, which is scheduled to deliver cargo for Artemis V by 2030.
Energy infrastructure is also evolving. The ZEUS satellite network—a 300-satellite constellation—will beam microwave energy to lunar bases, addressing the thermal challenges of surviving -170°C lunar nights. LunaNet, a GPS-like system co-developed by NASA and ESA, is working to overcome Earth signal degradation to enable precise cislunar navigation.
Cislunar Space: A Military Domain in the Making
While economic and scientific ambitions dominate headlines, the Moon is also being quietly militarized. Concerns are mounting that cislunar space could soon host weapon systems under the guise of research infrastructure.
The Pentagon increasingly views cislunar space as a future domain of warfare. Traditional space domain awareness systems are largely ineffective at lunar distances, prompting the development of new sensors and platforms. One such example is the Oracle satellite, which will be the first U.S. spacecraft specifically designed to monitor the Earth-Moon region. Tracking objects amid the gravitational chaos of cislunar space is far more complex than in Earth orbit, presenting unique technical challenges.
In parallel, high-power directed energy weapons, such as the 100kW Guardian-ISR laser system, are being tested for applications including anti-drone defense and asset protection in deep space. The U.S. is also working to secure its supply chains for critical technologies, such as rare-earth magnets and gallium nitride wafers, which are essential for these advanced systems. As Charles Galbreath of the Mitchell Institute warns, failure to secure cislunar space could allow China to replicate in space the kind of territorial assertiveness it has displayed in the South China Sea.
China is rumored to be developing multi-ton laser platforms capable of targeting satellites from lunar orbit. The U.S., in parallel, has been testing low-recoil projectile launchers—dubbed “sausage guns”—tailored for lunar gravity. Russia is reportedly redesigning its historic Salyut-3 orbital cannon, potentially adapting it for asteroid defense and cislunar operations.
The dual-use nature of space assets further blurs the lines. The China-Russia nuclear reactor for the ILRS, while framed as a power source, could also support high-power microwave weapon systems.
Meanwhile, regulatory mechanisms remain dangerously inadequate. There are no enforcement regimes for limiting resource extraction, avoiding interference with radio astronomy, or preventing covert weaponization. Companies like Interlune openly discuss plans to “dig the Moon dry,” while no existing treaty—Artemis Accords included—contains verification or compliance protocols.
As Peter Garretson, a former USAF space strategist, warned: “Whoever controls cislunar high ground dominates Earth-space logistics. China understands this—that’s why they’re racing to occupy Lagrange points.”
Countdown to 2030: Technological Catalysts for Cislunar Control
One of the greatest obstacles to building a sustainable space economy is the high cost of transportation. A critical breakthrough will come from producing fuel in space, particularly by tapping into the Moon’s vast reserves of water ice. With over 20 billion metric tons of ice believed to be present, the Moon holds the key to enabling long-term human presence beyond Earth. Water can be converted into liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen—standard rocket propellants—offering potentially millions of years’ worth of fuel supply. Establishing the infrastructure to mine lunar ice, convert it into propellant, and distribute it across a transportation network in cislunar space is essential to unlocking this potential.
SSA is a system of systems dealing with space surveillance, space weather and NEOs. Comprehensive SSA requires a networked system of radars and electro-optical sensors. Now with space competition and future militarization has reached to Cislunar Space, militaries are extending the Space situational awareness (SSA) to this entire space betweeen earth and moon.
Dominance in cislunar space depends on mastering a new class of technologies. Propulsion systems must handle long-duration missions with storable propellants, using advanced alloys like Inconel and Monel for cryogenic fuel storage. In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is progressing steadily, with experimental reactors now capable of converting lunar ice into usable oxygen and hydrogen fuel. These systems are crucial to reducing Earth’s resupply burden.
NASA scientist Richard C. Oeftering has proposed a concept for a cis-lunar propellant infrastructure that would mine lunar water for fuel production and deliver it to users operating between Earth and the Moon. This infrastructure is envisioned as a catalyst for responsive, cost-effective space transportation beyond low Earth orbit, a foundation for commercial in-space activity, and a facilitator for the flexible-path exploration strategy targeting multiple deep space destinations.
In regions of permanent shadow where solar panels are ineffective, nuclear fission reactors are being prototyped to provide sustainable power. NASA is also exploring surface mobility solutions such as lunar railroads, enabling the transportation of humans and materials across vast lunar distances. Navigation remains a major hurdle; Earth’s GPS becomes unreliable near the Moon, prompting NASA and ESA to design dedicated lunar positioning networks like LunaNet. Meanwhile, China’s Queqiao-2 is experimenting with quantum communication, a technology that could revolutionize secure space-based links.
The vision is transformative. It has the potential to fundamentally redefine how space missions are planned and executed by lowering launch mass requirements, increasing mission flexibility, and expanding participation in the space economy. Realizing this vision, however, will require a cost-effective development strategy. Key elements include leveraging telerobotics to reduce human intervention, designing low-maintenance systems, using the Moon’s natural environment to our advantage, and deploying advanced technologies such as directed energy systems for resource extraction and robust electrical infrastructure for continuous operations.
Several key technologies will determine which actors can operationalize their lunar ambitions. Robotic swarms capable of autonomous base construction will be essential for projects like the Russian-Chinese nuclear power station. Navigation solutions such as LunaNet must outperform China’s quantum communication infrastructure if the West hopes to compete in positional precision.
Debris mitigation will become critical. With over 100 objects expected to populate cislunar space by 2026, the threat of collisions and the emergence of permanent debris fields could endanger both scientific missions and commercial activity.
Strategic milestones loom large. By 2026, China’s Chang’e-7 mission will attempt to land near the lunar south pole, potentially rivaling NASA’s VIPER rover. By 2028, the ILRS is expected to deploy its first module, coinciding with anticipated delays in the Artemis Gateway. The most pivotal year could be 2035, when Interlune’s mining operations may align with the first practical fusion energy reactors, signaling a fundamental shift in energy geopolitics.
Flashpoints and the Risk of Escalation
With increasing human and robotic presence, cislunar space is rapidly becoming congested. The lunar south pole, in particular, is a flashpoint. Both China and the U.S. have staked claims to nearby water-rich regions. Proximity between rival outposts could easily lead to disputes or accidental interference. Space traffic management is another urgent issue; over 100 spacecraft are expected to operate in cislunar space by 2026. Collisions or the creation of long-lasting debris fields could have devastating consequences.
Beijing’s long-term plan centers around the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), developed in partnership with Russia and aimed for operational capability by 2035. The station targets the Moon’s resource-rich south pole—a location that could allow China to control essential supplies like water ice and helium-3. U.S. officials have expressed concern that China may seek de facto territorial control by denying access to competing nations.
Although China’s programs are publicly framed as civilian or scientific, U.S. intelligence reports warn that many of them test dual-use technologies. The Tiangong space station, for instance, is not just a platform for research but a potential base for deploying satellites capable of interception, surveillance, or even laser-based weaponry.
Weaponization is an ever-present concern. China’s development of satellite jammers, robotic grapplers, and co-orbital interceptors raises fears of space-based conflict. With no comprehensive arms control treaties for the Moon or cislunar space, the risk of miscalculation or escalation looms large. As Prof. Kazuto Suzuki of the University of Tokyo notes, “It’s the Wild West up there. Whoever controls resources first will dominate space exploration.”
Strategic Imperatives and the Road Ahead
To remain competitive, the U.S. must act decisively. Expanding its space domain awareness network to cover cislunar space by 2030 is essential. Onshoring the production of critical components will safeguard defense programs from geopolitical shocks. Perhaps most importantly, Washington must continue leading in the establishment of space norms. The Artemis Accords offer a framework for peaceful exploration, but they must be backed by tangible presence and credible capabilities.
In response to China’s growing space assertiveness, the U.S. is recalibrating its defense posture to include the Moon and beyond.
In 2020, the U.S. Space Force formally designated cislunar space as a new domain of operations, extending surveillance and defensive reach to over 272,000 miles from Earth. This doctrinal shift underscored the Pentagon’s recognition that the next battlespace isn’t just near-Earth—it’s lunar and interplanetary.
China, for its part, is moving at a breakneck pace. Its stated goal of a permanent human presence on the Moon by 2028 could upend the current balance of power. Whether cislunar space becomes a commons for international cooperation or a contested battlespace will largely depend on actions taken in this decade.
Conclusion: The Decade of Lunar Destiny
Cislunar space is no longer a distant frontier—it is fast becoming the decisive arena for geopolitical, economic, and technological supremacy. This is not a return to Cold War-era flag-planting, but the foundation-laying phase of a permanent extraterrestrial presence. China’s centralized approach enables swift execution of large-scale infrastructure, while the U.S. bets on commercial innovation that, while dynamic, often struggles with cohesion and regulatory inertia. Private enterprises are beginning to reshape the narrative entirely, driving toward a post-scarcity space economy.
But ambition alone will not define the future. Deep uncertainties remain. If China secures control over 40% of helium-3-rich lunar territory by 2035, as some projections suggest, the geopolitical flashpoints may shift skyward. The Moon’s far side—shielded from Earth-based observation—offers unprecedented strategic advantages, raising serious concerns about the potential militarization of space. As the U.S. Space Force has stated unequivocally, “The volume beyond GEO is not adjacent; it is essential.”
Cislunar space is rapidly becoming a mirror of terrestrial geopolitics—a proving ground for technological resilience, alliance-building, and the will to maintain a presence in an environment that tolerates no weakness. As Dr. Jaime Stearns of the Air Force Research Laboratory observes, the complex orbital physics of cislunar space makes navigation and surveillance far more demanding than Earth orbit, dramatically raising the stakes for those seeking mastery. Dr. Svetla Ben-Itzhak of Johns Hopkins aptly frames the moment: “This is a test against our own abilities to establish a sustainable presence in an unforgiving environment.”
The outcome of the cislunar contest will not be determined by who arrives first—but by who stays, who builds enduring systems, and who secures the infrastructure for a new spacefaring civilization. The next decade will decide whether the Moon becomes a cooperative hub for humanity—or a contested high ground that echoes Earth’s rivalries into deep space.
For real-time tracking: Follow NASA’s Artemis schedule, monitor China’s Chang’e-8 updates, and watch Interlune’s 2027 resource mapping mission. The high ground is no longer theoretical—it is in play.
AFRL experiment named CHPS, for Cislunar Highway Patrol System.
Announcement by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate that it will embark on an experiment to investigate technologies to monitor cislunar space. “It’s a brave new world for the DoD to embark on,” said Capt. David Buehler, manager of the AFRL experiment named CHPS, for Cislunar Highway Patrol System. The U.S. Space Force is contemplating a time when its responsibilities could extend beyond geostationary Earth orbit, Buehler told SpaceNews. “If we’re going to protect and defend, the Space Force is going to need to understand the environment, have space domain awareness capabilities to be able to know where everything is out there,” Buehler said.“I think our experiment is extremely groundbreaking,” he said. “This could be the first mission for DoD going beyond GEO.”
Buehler said the details of the experiment are nowhere close to being decided. AFRL plans to solicit ideas from the private sector and assess different technologies and approaches, he said. The Space Vehicles Directorate plans to host a conference for interested contractors sometime in 2021 at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, but the timing will depend on the coronavirus situation, Buehler said.
Scientists widely agree that the surveillance of cislunar space presents daunting technical challenges, he said. One of them is estimating the trajectory of objects that are subject to both the Earth’s and the moon’s gravitational effects, said Buehler. “As you go further and further beyond GEO, you start to have these weird, non-closed trajectories, they no longer look like orbits, they’re more open-ended trajectories.” And the distances are mind-boggling, he added. “We have 1,000 times more volume to surveil. The space after the moon and beyond is 1,000 times larger, so you’re dealing with an enormous amount of volume.” The brightness of the moon also creates obstacles for sensors. “And that’s one of the things we’re hoping to overcome with CHPS,” Buehler said. “If you can get out near the moon, you can start to beat down some of those brightness challenges.”
As the project moves forward, AFRL will seek advice from the Space Development Agency, the Space and Missile Systems Center, and NASA. “We’re looking to actively partner with NASA wherever we can,” said Buehler. “Obviously, they have the expertise operating far beyond GEO that DoD just does not have.” A recent cooperative agreement signed by the U.S. Space Force and NASA lays the groundwork for future collaboration on cislunar space surveillance. Maj. Gen. John Shaw, commander of space operations at U.S. Space Command, called cislunar space surveillance a “big-data problem.” “It’s going to require many, many sensors and the fusion of data to present a picture, and predictive analytics to deliver an idea of what’s going on in the lunar sphere,” Shaw said on a webinar hosted by the California Polytechnic State University. “When you do the math, it’s a huge volume,” said Shaw. “In the military we talk about the tyranny of distance across the oceans. This is about the tyranny of volume.” Just understanding what’s happening in the environment will be hard, said Shaw, “And that’s if people are not up to mischief. Once you have threats introduced into that environment, it is even more challenging.”
The CHPS experiment will provide a glimpse into how DoD plans to leverage technology from the private sector. “It’s exciting to see that we might even open up the commercial market with what we’re doing,” said Buehler. “Until the government shows interest, businesses aren’t going to invest.” U.S. commercial companies are developing deep space technologies previously exclusively reserved for governments, from communications to navigation to lunar landing systems, said Doug Hendrix, CEO of ExoAnalytic Solutions, a firm that operates a large network of optical telescopes to track objects in orbit.
Space domain awareness technologies are a “foundational component of the infrastructure needed to support a cislunar economy,” Hendrix said. “For us, the telescopes looking at geosynchronous orbit are the beginning of a larger vision,” he said. ExoAnalytic currently has contracts from AFRL and from the Space Development Agency to demonstrate capabilities to track objects in cislunar space, and to figure out the components of a space-based architecture to do cislunar surveillance. One of the issues the company is examining is where to put satellites and what sensors would be needed to monitor space from the Earth out to the moon and even farther, said Hendrix. “There are different orbit designs to come after those challenges,” he said. “We’re in the early phases of the study.”
Most of the objects transiting today in cislunar space are research satellites and scientific probes. “So right now there are very few objects. But there’s a lot of commercial as well as sovereign nations’ interest in exploring the moon and creating maybe a permanent presence,” said Hendrix. “The Chinese are definitely on the path to creating a permanent presence. The United States plans to do so.” With the ground-based sensors available today, it’s possible to track medium-sized to larger satellites all the way out to lunar range, said Hendrix. “Cislunar is 10 times the range of GEO, objects are going to be 100 times dimmer. And it’s 1,000 times the volume to surveil.”
“We have been developing the technology for at least the last five years specifically to be able to see as dim an object as possible, which translates to being able to see farther,” he said. “The same technologies we’ve developed to see very small objects in Earth orbit allow us to see farther out into the lunar orbit.” Major investments will be needed in communications and navigation systems for cislunar space, said Hendrix. “We would like to see the U.S. government pay serious attention to this.” He said DoD has an opportunity with cislunar efforts to embrace new ways of working with the private sector. “These efforts will require rapid innovation,” Hendrix added. The U.S. government is now working to transition the responsibilities of space traffic management from Defense to the Commerce Department, he noted. “I’m really looking to see how they are going to expand these plans to include cislunar as that traffic grows.”
A team of space startups received an Air Force contract to develop a concept to collect and manage lunar intelligence.
Under a U.S. Air Force small business innovation contract, a team of space startups is working on a concept to collect and analyze information about objects and activities in cislunar space near the moon. “This is a Phase 1 study to investigate intelligence gathering as it pertains to the lunar domain,” Nathan Parrott, director of Saber Astronautics USA, told SpaceNews. The study is led by Rhea Space Activity, a startup based in Washington, D.C., which partnered with Saber Astronautics, a company headquartered in Australia with U.S.-based operations in Colorado. They will propose using a three-dimensional space situational awareness portal to track objects and analyze data. The companies announced on April 6 they won a $50,000 Air Force study contract to develop a concept for collecting and managing lunar intelligence.
Data about objects in cislunar space analyzed by Rhea Space Activity will be displayed and analyzed in a “space cockpit,” a ground mission control tool being developed under a separate Air Force small business innovation contract awarded to Saber Astronautics in 2019. “The space cockpit uses 3D graphics and gaming-like controls to give a more intuitive feel to the space domain,” said Parrott. A commercial version of the space cockpit is used by satellite operators to monitor, fly, and diagnose problems in spacecraft. The Air Force would be able to use the same system to integrate lunar intelligence, said Parrott.
“The cislunar domain is becoming more important for space domain awareness, particularly as the number of manned missions to the moon starts to increase,” he said. “Being able to ensure the safety of flight for these missions is of critical concern to NASA and others.” The government needs tools so that when missions are analyzed, they can be quickly visualized and reviewed, Parrott said. According to the Air Force small business innovation program’s December 2019 solicitation: “As the space beyond geosynchronous orbit becomes more crowded and competitive, it is important for the Air Force to extend its space domain awareness responsibilities to include this new regime. To support this new body of work, the Air Force is seeking commercial innovation in support of space domain awareness for future cislunar operations.”
The companies will complete the cislunar space intelligence study in about three months and then submit a proposal for a Phase 2 contract to start developing the technology. “The goal of any Phase 1 study is to hopefully progress it towards a Phase 2,” said Parrott. “That will depend upon the efficacy of the study and its potential to be commercialized among other factors.” Cameo Lance, a physicist at Rhea Space Activity, said that development of a new lunar intelligence discipline is inevitable as the U.S. military seeks to expand its capabilities beyond geosynchronous orbit to compete with China.
References and Resources also include:
https://spacenews.com/moon-patrols-could-be-a-future-reality-for-the-u-s-military/
https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2020/5/29/china-cislunar-space-ambitions
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/12/space-force-moon-pentagon-00016818
